Sympathy for the Blue Devil
by Cad Bane
Summary: Takes Place during and after the events of "Children of the Force". Devious bounty hunter Cad Bane takes Padawan Ahsoka Tano hostage after wrecking havoc amid the Jedi's ranks. Now her fate lies in his hands. Possible Banesoka
1. Would A Face Like This Deceive You?

**Sympathy for the Blue Devil**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Clone Wars, Cad Bane (regrettably, though he would be very unhappy being tied in my closet every day until my mother goes to sleep at night...) Obi-wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, etc. I'm making absolutely no profit off my writing what so ever, so please don't sue me, Oh-Might-Flanneled-One. technically in truth, you make more off me buying your action figures and books than you'd get out of me with all the law suits in the galaxy. I know, Clone wars Fans, this first chapter seems very familiar and mundane to you, scripted as it is from "Children of the Force" to begin with, but it takes a dramatic twist in my warped imagination as you will see. The next chapter will be considerably longer. Much Banesoka goodness to follow. What can I say, Bane loves his lollis almost as much as Anakin... **_

_"Kidnapping innocent children...seem like a small time crime for the likes of you."_

_"Among the Jedi, there are no innocents..."_

_"Sure sure, as long as I get paid, makes no difference to me..."_

_~Cad Bane and Darth Sidious_

***

"We know you've taken at least two children already. Where are they?" the blond Jedi general demanded, leaning in over the table as Bane studiously admired his stun cuffs. SC-302s, adjustable, made of thick durasteel. There was a complicated set of twists that would dislodge them but he still had a Venator-class Star Destroyer full of clone troopers and four Jedi to deal with.

"Beyond your reach..." The Duros replied disdainfully.

"Who are you working for?" Mace Windu asked. To some, he supposed the Jedi Council Member would have seemed imposing, but in truth he was just another Human. Arrogant and unimpressive. He found his thoughts wandering, musing that that dark bald head looked shiny enough to bounce a credit coin off.

Though the more common looking of the two, the pale Human Jedi had earned more of his grudging respect before even Kenobi's temper had started to fray after several long hours and his silver tongue had lost some of its luster. He might just have to cut that out in the future for his own amusement. That would make quite the interesting conversation piece, wouldn't it? If he lived, the Jedi would most definitely have to change his nickname from "The Negotiator."

"I work alone."

"It is only a matter of time before we locate the holocron. Make it easier on yourself." He felt the prickle intrusion within his mind. Kenobi was really starting to annoy him. He toyed with the tongue idea in more detail, hoping the Jedi could actually read that particular thought.

"What are you going to do, Jedi? Torture me?" he asked in a patronizing tone, knowing full well this went strictly against their beliefs but half curious if he could tempt them into breaking them own high and mighty moral code.

"I think," the older Jedi master replied ominously, his back to them, "The fear of whoever you work for outweighs your fear of us."

Bane's red gaze slid away from Obi-wan's piercing blue eyes as he sat back into the shadows of the interrogation cell, "This conversation is over." He caught a glimpse of Skywalker approaching with his supple little padawan as the doors slid shut, overhearing the younger Jedi's complaints.

"We tore the ship apart. There's no sign of the holocron...or the kids," Anakin reported, dishearted.

"Did you check the navigation records?"

"They're wiped clean before he landed on Naboo." Ahsoka sighed

"We'll have to use the Force to make him talk.." Anakin stated with dark relish of the notion. It was times like this Obi-wan thought he caught a glimpse of something in his former apprentice that made him a little uneasy.

Kenobi rubbed his chin, "Mmm...I don't think Bane is that weak-minded..."

"Maybe if we all concentrated on his mind together, "Ahsoka ventured thoughtfully, eager to be of help.

"Using the Force to compel a strong mind to cooperate is...risky," Obi-wan frowned.

"There is a risk that his mind could be completely destroyed in the process, "Mace added.

"Well, do we have another choice?' Anakin looked utterly unconcerned.

Bane sat studying is cuffs, mulling over the predicament as the tips of his long blue fingers tapped together idly. He glanced up as the Jedi reentered as a unit, his ruby eyes darting from one serious face to the next, feeling a trickle of trepidation which heightened as Skywalker closed his eyes and held out one hand, focusing.

"You WILL take us to the holocron."

"Jedi mind tricks don't work on me," he stated, brushing away the lingering sense of disquiet, or attempting to. It only grew stronger when Kenobi copied his former apprentice's posture, intoning in unison with Skywalker.

"You WILL take us to the holocron..."

"Forget it," he snarled, flinching back. The air in the small room had with out warning grown stale and seemed to filter through the breathing apparatus screwed into his cheekbones more sluggishly, heavy and viscous. Now all three of the blasted mystics were set on unhinging his will.

"I won't..."

"And you will take us NOW!"

"I...I will take you...NO!" He recoiled, gritting his sharp, yellowed fangs in defiance."GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!"

Even young Ahsoka looked concerned. And suddenly he had a plan. He writhe and thrashed in his seat. It didn't take much acting skill to seem in excruciating pain...it felt as if something with long, curved claws had pierced his skull and was digging into his brain. Using every ounce of willpower and talents worthy of a Mon Calamari ballet performer during a recital at the Galaxies Opera House, he forced his mind to go entirely blank. His gaze became vacant as every muscle tensed; his thin cerulean lips pulling back in snarl of agony then went lax as he slumped forward against the table.

The Jedi ceased their mental invasion, exchanging uncertain looks. Skywalker hesitantly leaned forward and snapped his fingers below the slope of flesh that accounted for Bane's nose without so much as a blink in reaction. The young Jedi licked his lips nervously, glancing at Obi-wan.

"That's certainly not good," Obi-wan, the master of dry understatement pronounced, rubbing his beard habitually.

"What did you DO??" Ahsoka choked out in a mix of horror stricken awe and nauseated guilt. After all, this had been her ill fated idea. She loathed the bounty hunter as much as she ever had any other being in the known universe but seeing him reduced to a drooling lump of non-sentient flesh incapable of even moving under his own power was a notion she never would have wished on Ventress herself.

She crossed the room in a few swift steps and grasp Bane's head firmly but gently in her hands, lifting it off the table. It lulled forward almost lifelessly without support. "Fix him!!" she shot Anakin desperate look.

"I'm not sensing any conscious thought from him at all," Anakin stated, looking at Master Windu whom only nodded, dismissing the incident so callously Ahsoka's mouth dropped open. She looked to Obi-wan pleadingly, the responsibility weighing heavily on her conscience. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

"But..."

With lightning fast reflexes, Bane sat up and looped the connecting bar of his binders over the Padawan's head, jerking them tight against her throat and cutting off her airway, his mouth close enough to her one of her montrals that his hot breath washed over the side of her face as he whispered, "Thanks for the living shield, youngling. I was almost starting to worry..." He lewdly stroked one of her immature lekku, then tightened his grip painfully on it, aware in her species, like Twi'leks, his forceful grip could cause her the long lasting brain damage he'd just barely avoided. It also served to incapacitate the young Togrunta, whom had no time to fight back. He knew from past experience that she was a formidable opponent. Right now he needed a passive hostage, not another invigorating sparing session as he still had the Human Jedi to deal with.


	2. Daring Escape and New Forms of Payment

**Sympathy for the Blue Devil**

**Notes: Oki-day, hey guys, let me just say I really appreciate all the reviews and I'm certain this is going to upset some of you, which I don't want to do, but as far as the pairing...I've been considering it a lot, and I'm just going to let the story write itself, which is the only way I know how to write. If I don't write what's in my head, I'll likely lose interest and not be able to finsh the story so if you don't want to read it that's fine, I understand. Just let me write it and we'll see what happens, alright? I promise this will be kept as in cannon as I can make it and the pairing itself will only occur if I feel I can pull it off without tainting my view of either character. Again, thank you for all the encouragement!**

**P.S...I suck at writing out fight scenes, so if this sounds to abrupt I apologize.**

***

_"Ashoka!!"_ Anakin yelped, reacting without forethought, as the bounty hunter had known he would, and charging back into the small room where there was very little chance to maneuver, giving Bane all the opening he needed for an elbow to the face, capitalizing on two disadvatages Humans had opposing Duros by winding his narrow blue fingers in that scruffy head pelt and slamming Anakin's face into the interogation table hard enough to shatter the outgrowth of cartiledge on the young Jedi's stunned face. Despite the pain as he fell uncontious, the boy was lucky that the Duros had not had full freedom of his hands or he would have driven his nose back into his brain, instantly killing him instead.

Bane dwelled little on this, however, still holding the subdued padawan to him as a living sheild as he whirled to face Obi-wan, using the memorized flick of his wrist to unleash the hidden cable in his wrist gauntlets as the two elder Jedi ignited their lightsabers. The lanyard shot past Windu's head and ensnared Kenobi's weapon hilt, recoiling into the cable launcher so sharply the energy blade sliced cleanly through Windu's neck and his decaptated body hit the floor in a smoking heep as Bane caught the lightsaber, vaguely surprised but hardly displeased with the results.

"Pity there wasn't a bounty on that one's head..forgive the figure of speech," Bane grinned as Obi-wan stopped short, horrified, giving the bounty hunter all the time he needed to charge the Jedi master and tackle him to the floor. Seconds until the entire crew, at least five battalions of clone troopers decended on his head with a vengence. He was aware every click of passing time he spent struggling with the Jedi lessened his escape potential and brought him that much closer to an executioner's restraining force field and lethal injection.

Obi-wan recovered and regained his wits, using the Force to fling objects at the wirey bounty hunter whom was hardpressed to block all or dodge the rest. Trying to regain control of the situation, Obi-wan attempted to counter by resorting to a less civilized form of hand to hand combat so he could create an opening to summon his or Mace's saber to his hand but he wasn't nearly as skilled as Bane. Cad ducked under his swing and, not missing a beat, uppercut the Jedi hard enough to bust his lower lip against his perfectly straight little white teeth. He straddled his waist and slammed the Jedi's head back into the floor with a resounding crack before scrambling to his feet and dragging the still limp padawan against him as the clone troopers surounded him.

"I know your orders...you protect your precious Jedi generals are all costs.." he smirked, snaking his arm into a lock with the young Togruta's that was impossible to break without snapping the bones in her elbow. He jerked his arm and she moaned painfully in response. "To your last breath...wasn't that your words?" He leered at Rex whom seethed silently, his armored body tense as a nerf in a cage of manka cats.

"You won't get away with this, scum.." the clone Captain replied at length.

"I already have, soldier boy...clear me a path," he shoved his way through, careful not to leave his back open to any of the hostile troopers, stalking to the docking bay where the Xanadu Blood was being held. Although its many colored layers of paint were chipping, nothing had ever looked quite so welcome as the battered Porax-38 starfighter did at that exact moment in time. The cockpit was only adequately sized for the pilot, meaning he had to settle the limp little padawn onto his lap, a tight fit and one where he could not afford to have her suddenly come to and attack him so he injected her with a sizable dose of somatall from his dart launcher, feeling slightly more at ease as the tranquilizer coursed through her veins, leaving him to power up, launching the fighter into the safety of hyperspace.

No one made an indication of following him. Sentimental fools. Naturally, he'd land on some remote outpost and check the ship over for tracking devices just incase one of the Jedi had had a breif flash of inspiration and attempted to prevent against a prisoner breaking free. Skywalker was an unusual Jedi...but he was also arrogant. He likely wouldn't have counted on a "simple bounty hunter" overcoming three of the most powerful Jedi in the Order and a portion of the GAR. All the same, in the world or mercenaries, there was no such thing as being paranoid.

He blinked as Ahsoka shuddered and slid down slightly in his lap, her delicate head resting in the crook of his neck. Her warm breath fluttered against his throat and he inhaled sharply, though not in an entirely uncomfortable way. He was, after all, a male, and his choice of hostages hadn't been limited only by her experience level.

***

Once more comfortably settled in the dark bowels of the Black Stall Station, Cad Bane replaced his Nashtah skin stetson with relish. He had a reasonable stock of the hats tucks away, but he loathed being without it after so many years. It was his trademark. His head felt exposed like a target without the comforting warmth and weight.

The now familiar jutting chin of the Dark Lord of Sith captured in a shivering blue hologram regarded him from the computer counsel. Even a shaak herder would have recognized that hint of face, had they seen it. Very dangerous knowledge, he mused. He wondered how much the Jedi would pay to be privy to a capture of that holo. He wondered how quickly he'd be dead if all the rumors about the Sith were true and the deceptively frail old Human sensed his thoughts.

Fortunately, either Sidious was all too aware of how much Bane loathed the Jedi or the distance interfered with any mindreading abilities he might have possessed.

The stoop-shouldered, dark-robed figure questioned Bane impatiently,"And you told them nothing?"

"Of course not, as per our argeement. They have no clue where the infants are or who requested their kidnapping," he replied almost casually. Sidious was used to dealing with cowering, craven, incompetant Neimodians. He needed to be delicately but unquestionably reminded he was dealing with someone altogether different.

"Good," the cloaked form replied, satisfied,"You seem to have made a formidable adversary for yourself, bounty hunter. It is time to rectify that. Your next target is the Jedi Order."

Bane paused. Not much surprised him but he was certain this time the old man had either gone round the bin or his hearing was starting to suffer from too many fire fights in enclosed spaces. Rather than encourage the wrath of the Sith Lord, he waited patiently for him to clarify himself.

"I want it destroyed, dismantled, and when it's reminants are scattered to the wind, you will hunt them down."

"And do you have any further suggestion as to how that might be accomplished?" He was nearly used to the dark holo demanding the seemingly impossible of him, but by now he knew he was not expected to deliver results without some form of assistantance by way of information or equipment or both.

"Skywalker," the Sith Lord stated after a moment. Naturally, Skywalker was the Jedi's shining light, their hope, their precious Chosen One. An assassination attempt on him wouldn't be the most simple of tasks even given Skywalker's rebelous nature and habit of rushing into hostile situations without backup, but with luck perhaps that blow to the head had done some perminent damage. "I want him alive." That stopped his revolving thought process short. His full attention focused on the blue wavery image. "Alive..but isolated and unable to return to the Jedi order, cast out of it. Young Skywalker has a great many faults...deviations from the Jedi's treasured Code that will be his undoing."

Sidious had long lamented that he would have preferred it if boy had stayed on Tatooine, living an anonymous life, free from Jedi influences, but eventually he could still make the boy his,he had always known it, and now the time had come to take a new apprentice, one much younger and stronger. But the bounty hunter did not need to know his ultimate goals, had he not already guessed them. He was a tool, one that was useful but would likely be disposed of later when his knowledge became an inconvience.

Therefore, it was hardly more than a trivial distraction when Bane placed a toothpick in the corner of his mouth and tripped his chair back, his crimson eyes narrowed in thought, and stated,"It's a big job. I'll need triple my usual fee..plus certain oher considerations..."

"Such as?" Sidious tried to keep the annoyance from his voice. He loathed time wasted haggling over the bounty hunter's petty payments. Credits were of no concern to him, nor were ships and weaponry, not when Sidious unstood how insignificant any weapon was in comparison to the power of the Dark Side.

"The girl."

This caught the Sith Lord momentarily offguard. A rare occurence. Nearly unprecedented. He didn't like being taken off his guard.

"Skywalker's padawan..." Bane clarified, noting the curl of the dark figure's wrinkled lips into a vague sneer of disgust, "She'll be useful as a pawn against Skywalker. I intend to keep her in addition to my payment."

"Fine, fine, do as you like with her," Sidious muttered dismissively.

Bane rolled the toothpick to the corner of his thin blue mouth, smilingcoldly with more than a hint of satisfaction,"I just may do that."


End file.
